Hobbies And Interests
Human Bodies
Nitrogen comprises around 3 percent of the human body as well as other organic creatures such as plants and bacteria. This is because nitrogen is an essential building block for proteins, the organic codes needed for an organic being, such as an animal or a plant, to be alive.
Atmosphere
Around 78 percent of the atmosphere on Earth is made of nitrogen. This is compared to oxygen, which makes up around 20 percent of the atmosphere. However, organic creatures do not utilize the nitrogen found in the air. Most of the nitrogen that is breathed in through respiration is exhaled while animals and plants breathe in their respective gases of oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Space
Nitrogen is present in much of the visible matter of the universe. Although hydrogen is the most plentiful element in the universe, nitrogen is seen in the composition of stars and nebulae and within the atmospheres of other planetary objects. Although one estimate by the University of Tennessee-Knoxville shows that only 0.008 percent of the universe is composed of nitrogen, considering the vastness of the universe this is actually a large amount.
Fertilizers
On a less cosmic note, nitrogen is utilized for various commercial uses, such as fertilizers. Nitrogen-based fertilizers are a combination of hydrogen and carbon products with nitrogen utilized from the air. The mixture helps create a nutrient-rich plant feed that helps crops and healthy bacteria grow in the soil. Fertilizer bags vary in their amount of nitrogen; the University of Illinois extension school program in gardening suggests a fertilizer that is three pounds of nitrogen in 1,000 square feet of fertilizer.